Pros: The directions listed on the course information tab is slightly incorrect. You take a right onto Pioneer Rd from 169, not 212. I recommend using the Google Maps provided on DCGR's website to find the best route for you.

Take a right as soon as you enter the parking lot. The 1st hole is about 100 yards to the right of the lot.

Staring Lake Park has a lot of other things going on other than disc golf. There were a few ball fields, nice horseshoe pit and an open air amphitheater.

*The tee pads for all of the holes were more than adequate for each hole, dual pads on many of them. The back pads usually did a good job of adding a little more challenge for the beginner/intermediate player.

*Nice chain baskets which did not need any sort of maintenance.

*A good mix of elevation and distance, some open some wooded. Most holes were either ~200 feet or 350 feet and the longer holes predominantly catered to a left handed player or a forehand thrower.

*Even with Bryant nearby there are plenty of reasons to go to this course. It is much more beginner friendly, as long as the park isn't packed your round will be completed much shorter and it is free.

*A few benches and picnic tables to sit down while waiting or for just enjoying the weather.

*There is a good chance you'll see an airplane land or take off at Flying Cloud Airport just across the street.

Cons: The biggest con would be the litter. There was a lack of any garbage or recycling cans on most holes. Putting some at hole 1, 4 and 7 would be optimal.

There was quite a bit of erosion on a lot of the holes. The lack of rain in the past few months have made the course incredibly dusty. Hole 8 has added woodchips and a staircase for the back tee which was needed although most groups seemed to skip that tee.

Two holes have you throwing very close to the street, which is a very busy road.

Other Thoughts: It is overall a very fun course. A decent place to play a quick round when you are sick of Bryant or are nearby. It has a decent variety of shots and made good use of the small amount of land allotted for disc golf.

Pros: Everything about this course is kind of an enigma to me. There were signs and then there weren't signs. There were tiny little concrete pads and then "Boom", there were large championship caliber pads that even Dave Feldberg himself, couldn't find anything about them to complain about. You start out playing # 1 and 2 which are little pitch & putt holes and then you run into #'s 3 and 4, both 300' plus holes and challenging. Then you play #'s 5 and 6, two more little pitch and putts. I liked this course a lot, I'm just not sure what the designer(s) were attempting to accomplish. The woodchips are used well here to cover some bare ground and hopefully prevent erosion. Baskets are in decent shape.

Cons: There was too much litter here. A few more garbage cans would help. I can see the course getting mega crowded but that's what we get when we have a popular course.

Other Thoughts: I can call this "The Bagless Player Course." I've never been on a course before with so many players playing and carrying their extra discs or two in their hands. I think I was the only guy on the course with a bag. I think they were looking at me and laughing at the old guy with all the extra disc. That's the way I look at the player who has the cart with the cooler, the umbrella, the stool, the boom box, 100 discs, three different kinds of retreivers, refrig, and the all the other bells and whistles.
Nice fun little course for a quick round. As with many of the course in the area, it looks as though some improvements are taking place.

Other Thoughts: I've played this course many times during my lunch hour with a couple of friends - it's easy to get a round done in about a half hour, even with 3 people.

Holes 3 and 4 are very challenging to par, but even an average player could par this course after a few rounds.

They recently made hole #6 a bit more difficult by moving the basket, but the distance is about the same. It's a perfect course for a game on your lunch hour - it's usually not too busy around 11:30 - 12.

Pros: -Course being updated by Eden Prairie Parks Dept.
including sand around baskets, wood chips, new tee pads to replace ones taken out, and new trees along the road to help cut down wind.

-Good Casual course, not the most difficult, but does it have to be to get a good rating?
-Dual Cement Tee Pads, nicely sized
-Good condition Mach 3 baskets
-Many ace runs
-Great use of space, small course, yet makes use of what there is
-Great use of elevation
-Holes 3 and 4 (and 8's long tee) offer a good challenge to those that would say that this course is too easy
-Will test both hyzer and anhyzer shots
-Beginner friendly
-Easy to navigate
-Flows nicely, looping back to start
-Plenty of parking
-Trash cans on some holes (PLEASE USE THEM)
-Course is pretty....too bad many people litter
-Restrooms back towards parking lot

Cons: -Lots of litter (need more trash cans badly)
-Crowds (come early if you want a casual round)
-Destroyed signs
-Vandalism on some benches and wooden bridge
-Only one real chance to bomb it
-Hole 8's long tee is just silly, I don't think I've ever seen anyone else play it. It is a drive straight up a steep hill where you disc will likely land right by the short tee which is much more fun to throw from anyways.
-Erosion on hills from lots of use (maybe get erosion control mats like Bryant lake?)

Other Thoughts: This and Bryant Lake are my home courses. I like to alternate between the two. Bryant offers a full 18 and many open long drives, while Staring offers a quick 9 and shorter holes. If I'm in the mood for a casual round or I'm short on time, I'll choose Staring. If I'm looking for a place to spend the afternoon or more of a challenge I'll go to Bryant.

The two worst things at this park are crowds and litter. This course is located extremely close to a college, come here after class lets out and it'll be packed. With the college kids comes the litter. I don't know why they can't hold onto their bottles and chip bags until they get to the holes that have trash cans....but it can get pretty bad.

This course sees lots and of use and it needs some loving care. Luckily I've seen the Eden Prairie Parks Dept working on sprucing up the place. I like knowing that this course isn't getting neglected, hopefully they will be adding more trash cans to combat the rampant litter problem.

Pros: 1) Course has nice concrete tees (although #7 teepads and #9 long tees are missing because of construction).

2) Woodchips are used well to cover bare soil on most of the course.

3) Nice elevation changes on many of the holes (1, 2, 3, 4, and #8 long tee). Side slopes are used for a few baskets creating some possible rollaways and tougher putts.

4) Good variety of fairly open holes (5, 6, 8, 9) with a smattering of trees to avoid, balanced with the tight and technical holes of #3 (have fun trying to hit that opening for a chance at birdie), and #4 (Good luck missing all of those trees in the woods) and then the fairly open elevation holes of 1, 2. Uses the property very well, but it does look like they could stand to have some alt pins or move a few holes.

5) Baskets are in good shape

6) Disc golf is seperated from all the other amenities in this park. It looks like there are a lot of other things to do in the park it even has horseshoes!

7) Beginner friendly because it is pretty short. The short tees are easy enough, but the longs will challenge the beginner.

Cons: 1) Tee signs are very minimalist and two of them are missing right now.

2) 2 concrete pads missing on #7 and #9 because of construction. This is only a temporary negative.

3) Erosion is a problem in a few spots. Some timbers or more mulch or some other sort of retention would be helpful in a few spots.

4) Trash is evident in many spots probably made worse by the construction and the opening up of the woods.

5) #8 and #9 are simplistic and boring, I hate to end on a bad note. I could see another hole using the ravine more down in the woods

Other Thoughts: This course will remain with me because it took me like 20 minutes of searching to find it and I had to be at Bryant Lake by 7:00 to play with a friend. I almost gave up and just went to Bryant but I am glad I ended up finding it. I step up without practice putting or anything throw my Spider (at 6:15 and barely any light yet) and bang into the chains for my second ace. My rating may be slightly influenced by the fact I got my second ace here and I will consider it, but I really do like the holes here. It is short but it has everything except water. It has some open holes, it has some technical tight holes, it has some great elevation changes.

Pros: Better than "decent typical" so I vote a 3. Nice elavation change. Mature trees. Couple quirky shots that make you throw something out of the ordinary.
Nice tees and baskets. Cool watching planes fly in and out.

Cons: Crowded, trash/ litter rampent often. Eroison in many places.

Other Thoughts: Decent course to play when Bryant is too crowded, but then again it too is crowded most nice days. Another good date course.

Pros: - Very convenient play most times
- Short course with enough challenge to be interesting, but still very beatable to an average player
- Fairways are well-mowed
- It is difficult to lose a disc here (in fact I have never seen it done in hundreds of rounds)

While an 18 hole course is always nice, I rather enjoy playing this course's 9. It's not very draining to play through and it allows a player to play several rounds and try different approaches to a certain hole. This is a GREAT course to learn on.

Cons: - Much vandalism and litter
- VERY crowded on nice days, expect to wait several minutes on a few holes.

Other Thoughts: Hole 3 is a long dogleg right into some woods - it's very gratifying if you can make it through the clearing.

Hole 4 can be a VERY frustrating hole.

ALSO: As of spring 2009 the course is under a lot of work. The city removed all of the trees along the south side (where the back holes come back along Pioneer Trail) which has removed a lot of shelter from the wind. They have also torn up a LOT of the land and removed the men's tees from holes 7 and 9. I am not sure what they are doing, but hopefully they are expanding as the course could VERY MUCH use more space.